With the NHL’s Olympic break ending, trade season has begun.
The first major domino fell on Tuesday after the trade freeze ended, as the Pittsburgh Penguins dealt Brett Kulak to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Samuel Girard and a 2028 second-round pick, the teams announced.
Kulak, 32, has played in 56 games this season, collecting one goal and eight assists while carrying a minus-five.
The left-shot defenceman began the year with the Edmonton Oilers, but was traded to Pittsburgh as part of the deal that saw Stuart Skinner and Tristan Jarry swap creases.
Kulak is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. He has a cap hit of $2.75 million.
A fourth-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2012, Kulak has played in parts of 12 NHL seasons. In 636 career games, he has 29 goals and 134 points.
Girard, meanwhile, will head to Pittsburgh after skating in 40 games for Colorado. He averaged 17:41 of ice time per night, scored three goals and dished out nine assists.
The 27-year-old D-man has spent the last nine seasons with the Avalanche after breaking into the NHL with the Nashville Predators in 2017-18.
Girard is in the sixth season of a seven-year deal, which carries a $5-million average annual value. He will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season.
For his career, the Roberval, Que., native has 37 goals and 235 points in 588 games. He also won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022.
